Doorway to Dreams Recap from 8/1

[KristineN]

well, for me, it was information overload because we got in the car with no intention to buy...and the next thing I knew we were mulling over a 200 point contract. So for me, my overload was more on that level.

I think for new buyers, the information will be presented in a fairly simple manner...

 

[MattIL]

My wife, son and I also attended the Doorway to Dreams event today. I will recap the incentives and then add my comments on the event.

From listening to the presentation and also talking with a DVC salesperson/rep. these are the incentives, as I understood them.

Purchases of 110 points or more would receive a $10 per point discount at Saratoga Springs and $8 per point discount at Animal Kingdom Villas.

If you purchased from 110 to 159 points you will receive a one-time allotment equal to your purchase. Those points must be used within twelve months of your contract date and reservations cannot be booked more then seven months prior to check-in date.

If you purchase 160 points to 199 you receive a one-time allotment equal to one and a half times the amount of your purchase. Those points must be used within twelve months of your contract date and reservations cannot be booked more then seven months prior to check-in date.

For purchases of 200 points or more you receive a one-time allotment equal to two times the amount of your purchase. Those points must be used within twelve months of your contract date and reservations cannot be booked more then seven months prior to check-in date.

While later talking with a sales representative he mentioned that the discounted price at Saratoga Springs and the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas could be received for purchases starting at 100 points. However you needed to meet the 110-point threshold to receive the extra allotment of points.

Purchases of the Animal Kingdom Lodge would include 2007 use year points and Saratoga Springs would include 2006 and 2007 use year points. I believe they mentioned that the dues for 2006 would be waived for Saratoga Springs and you would be allowed to bank those points into the future (2008 I assume).

The incentives being offered were for the people attending the event and we have 7 days to take advantage of them.

They did mention some type of adjustment for people whose use years begin in Oct, Nov and Dec but I didn't listen closely to that since it doesn't apply to my family.

General Impressions of the event.

My family attended the 1:00 PM showing and we also arrived early and were encouraged to visit the mall. We returned about 15 minutes before 1:00 PM and they were still encouraging people to visit the mall until 1:00. When I commented that we had already done that we were allowed to stay but I was then mentioned that they were having issues with the air conditioning. I was under the impression that they were trying to keep a large group from gathering in the upper entrance of the Improv due to the small size of the area and the heat.

A few minutes after this we were ushered into the reception area of the club where cast members passed out a number of small items, registered people for a sweepstakes and offered water and soda. In this area were drawings of different aspects of the Animal Kingdom Villas, most of these were very similar to the artwork that was in the information were sent about the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas earlier in the summer. It was at this time that were received our number (We were lucky and were in the first group) and then moved down into the theater of the Improv. This is the area were food and additional beverages were available.

I have never seen the DVC character before and she didn't seem to get a great response from the crowd. Maybe this character appeals better on the east coast but it didn't seem to connect with the adults and large number of children in the audience.

I thought the 3 cast members did a nice job of explaining the offers being made available and talking about how the extra points involved with the incentives could be used. Two of the cast members shared some of their experiences of belonging to the Vacation Club and they also showed a short film that had a family discuss the impact of their membership upon their family.

At this point DVC explained how the tours of the new store would be conducted, explained how we could meet with DVC reps and introduced the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto).

The tour of the store was nice (and fast since they were bringing other groups through). I was impressed with the rooms. They have added an additional bathroom in the 1 and 2 bedrooms that is at the entrance of the villa (I believe its a half bath). The living area in the family room appears a little larger and this might be due to the flat screen T.V. requiring a smaller cabinet to hold. The master bath was arraigned different then the BCV with the shower, tub, and sink being together. It seemed that the elimination of some walls created a larger general area.

After this we returned and took a photo with the characters (we were giving a card to use to access the photo online) and then met with a sales rep and received our gift bags.

While it was warm, I didn't think it was uncomfortable for guests since we didn't have to move around as much as the cast members and most of use were dressed for warm weather. We also had access to water and soda. I did feel for the cast members who were hustling around since they were obviously working up a sweat while doing their job.

A couple of the cast members mentioned they had flown in from Florida for the event.

While talking with some of cast members it was mentioned that the Chicago area was picked due to the large number of DVC members who lived within an hour drive of the mall. They said that if the store did well (generating sales) that they were looking at opening other stores in other locations. It was mentioned that they are basically running out of room and time to promote sales in their current on-property locations to meet the demand for tours.

Overall I was a nice event. Our son had a great time (the cast members were great with him) and its always fun to see how excited he gets to see and meet the characters (Mickey and company). Now my wife and I have to decide if we want to purchase additional points and how many.

Hope this information was useful.

 

[BriarRosie]

I posted my pics of the event, because Kristine took great shots of the villa mockups. Here's the link to the thread about the mailings, where I posted my report:

http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=20067814&postcount=117

I didn't want to double post it here, because I also posted it as something off-topic in my pre-trip report, too.

And for the record, the Ron Popeil style of hype buildup didn't get me to buy more points, even though I was sorely tempted.

 

[Rat-a-too-ee]

The sign outside:

The bar room where you waited for the theater:

The three nice DVC guides who shared their experiences and explained the pricing, each just got back from the Med cruise:

A screen shot of the incentives:

The outside of the new store front:

The 1 bedroom master bedroom and bath:

We were group 4 at 3pm.

Overall, very nice event. I am not too crazy about the DeeVeeCee lady either, we also saw her at the very first members day at Boardwalk. She is SO lucky to have that job! I wish I was her!!!

The castmembers were so sweet and very cordial, it was the first day, it was VERY hot 95+ degrees outside, the was a/c iffy and there was a very large crowd, I thought they handled it well.

We ended up buying another 110 points at SS (we already had points at OKW and SS), mostly so we could do an Adventures By Disney trip and exchange our points more often.

I think we got a great deal, and I am happy they chose Chicago for the first one.

 

[cgcw]

To be honest, I am not sure if it was only for those attending the previews or not....after awhile, I was on total information overload....I'd definitely call & ask your guide. I really had no intention to buy...but the double devolper points sucked me in.

My understanding is that it's only for those of us who attended the event. I even commented to one of the CM's wondering if they were going to be hearing from other members feeling they are getting the short end of the stick because they too could not take advantage of the add-on incentive right now. This CM said that they have been down that road before and they will deal with it, but they felt the Chicagoland area was an important market for them.

We will most likely be adding on so it works to our benefit. I can, however, totally understand being on the other side of the coin.

If we decide to complete the addon, we also have to go back into the store. No picking up the phone and calling our guide.

 

[mla973]

Thanks for the recap. I skimmed over the photos since I want to be surprised on Friday. So, $10 off SSR points amkes the total $94, correct? And AKV would be $98? Do I have that right?

 

[DISNEYDUET]

My understanding is that it's only for those of us who attended the event. I even commented to one of the CM's wondering if they were going to be hearing from other members feeling they are getting the short end of the stick because they too could not take advantage of the add-on incentive right now. This CM said that they have been down that road before and they will deal with it, but they felt the Chicagoland area was an important market for them.

That really sucks seeing as we are in a position to add on. I am really starting to rethink DVC. It seems that we spend a whole lot of money for nothing special. Just more and more headache.

But, congrat's to anyone who was able to take advantage of this deal! And thanks a bunch to KristineN for posting all the great info. It looks like everyone had a nice time.

 

[MrShiny]

It's actually $12 off SSR ($92) and $8 off AKV ($96), plus the developer points if you buy enough, with banking deadlines waived on those developer points.

This was an offer only at the event, but of course no telling what offers they have when the store opens.

We were at 8PM. They had brought a portable AC in for the bar area, and it seemed the AC was working in the theatre. Perhaps because of that, we liked Dee Veecee. She talked about taking trips from Wisconsin as a kid, and amazingly, there was no one from Wisconsin there.

The person who took us to the store was a ball of energy! The guy spacing out the groups and guarding the exit said joking thatwe couldn't go unless she did a cartwheel - and to our and his amazement, she did!

The guides in the store had nice pin lanyards - lots of lanyard pins! Luckily, I brought some of my traders!

Seeing the models was great! We already own some AKV, but we bought more (so maybe you'll see a AKV resale soon! I figure I'd get the offer and then figure out today what to do!)

 

[El&Asmom]

We were totally sucked in. We have a small resale contract and thought that an add on of a max of 100 would be plenty for now.
We went home with 160 SSR points. Now to decide how to use those 240 dp. What a hassle!
I was at the 3p viewing. The CM were fabulous. My dh couldn't make it for the showing and came after work to help decide how much we were going to buy, (Mr we don't need that many points decided to go with the 160 instead of the 110). The CM were great with helping me with my 2 dds when I was alone with them.
They must have had the AC fixed by the 3p time, because we were comfortable.

I'm so glad we were able to make it to get the extra incentives. Well worth it.

 

[DVCtinkerbell]

We were at the 1 pm meeting and were in group 10. My kids kept saying, "Make DeeVeeCee stop!" every time she said something. I would have never guessed that they use her for more than this event. Yikes!

Otherwise we had a great time. My dd wants to go back in a red shirt to "Welcome Home" other members and pass out luggage tags. I can't tell you how many of those we got. We were turning them down.

My husband was unable to attend and when I tried to explain the incentives he wouldn't listen. I want to but add-on but not until next year when I'm done with grad school. A present to myself!

 

[El&Asmom]

It's actually $12 off SSR ($92) and $8 off AKV ($96), plus the developer points if you buy enough, with banking deadlines waived on those developer points.

We bought at SSR yesterday, and were given $10 off per point.

And don't forget the $100 Woodfield mall gift card!

 

[CarolAnnC]

We were at the 1 pm showing. We actually intended to be at the 3 pm but arrived early and they ushered us on in.

I believe they also said the Oct/Nov/Dec use years would receive the 2006 points as well, with dues being paid by DVC for them. We were late arriving into the Improv, and tried to catch up quickly on the details.

The models are beautiful and I like the changes to the master bathroom. The shower looks phenomenal with a seat inside, and the elongated whirlpool tub looks very inviting!

Unfortunately, the camera got left behind at home, but we will be there Saturday too and will take pix of course.

 

[KristineN]

MattIL...good recap

Lori & Rat-a-Too-ee...great pics & reports

Cgcw...looks like you are right. My guide called me this morning. I decided to break up my 200 points in 2-100 point contracts. So I asked him, he did say the developers points & $12 & $8 off were only for the people attending the event.

Disneyduet...I can certainly understand being agrevated. I am sure if I was ready to add on and hear this deal & couldn't take advantage, I'd be mad.

EL &Asmom...we were totally sucked in too!

 

[KristineN]

That was for SSR, right?

We were at the 1 pm showing. We actually intended to be at the 3 pm but arrived early and they ushered us on in.

I believe they also said the Oct/Nov/Dec use years would receive the 2006 points as well, with dues being paid by DVC for them. We were late arriving into the Improv, and tried to catch up quickly on the details.

The models are beautiful and I like the changes to the master bathroom. The shower looks phenomenal with a seat inside, and the elongated whirlpool tub looks very inviting!

Unfortunately, the camera got left behind at home, but we will be there Saturday too and will take pix of course.

 

[BriarRosie]

That was for SSR, right?

Yes, I think Sept - Dec use years would get the bonus 2006 points with the
SSR add on only. I think that makes sense, trying to sell out the older
of the two current resorts.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Yes, I was referring to SSR. Animal Kingdom Villas were not available in the last quarter of 2006. Thanks..

 

[fasttrakphil]

I ADDED ON 110 AT SSR WITH A DEC. USE YEAR AND GOT THE EXTRA 2006
POINTS WITH NO DUES ON THEM. I WENT THERE WITH EMPTY POCKETS. NOW I HAVE HOLES IN THEM. OH WELL I GUESS IT'S BETTER TO ADD ON SOONER THAN LATER............................

 

[MrShiny]

We bought at SSR yesterday, and were given $10 off per point.

And don't forget the $100 Woodfield mall gift card!

At the 8PM show, therewas no mention of a gift card.

 

[MrShiny]

From 8PM, 8/1/07:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/9545336@N06/793FTX

 

[MattIL]

At the 8PM show, therewas no mention of a gift card.

During our discussions about a possible add-on(1:00 PM event), our castmember mentioned that the gift card was coming from the mall since the air conditioning was not working. If that was true then it might have only been available for the groups when the air conditioner was clearly not on or working.